This book investigates how actors organize in order to solve a water quality problem. Research on the use of environmental resources has mainly focused on the circumstances needed for users to self-organize or to maintain an already sustainable way of resource use. Few studies have investigated the reasons why actors start to cooperate when they are faced with an environmental problem. Actor networks in three regions of the Rhine catchment area are scrutinized regarding a) actors’ cooperation pattern when managing an environmental problem; and b) the factors that trigger actors in a common-pool resource situation to initiate cooperation. Water quality policy is analysed in two European countries – Germany and Luxembourg – and one non-European country - Switzerland –, providing an overview of the distinctive measures applied in these regions aiming to tackle the water quality problem of micro-pollutants in river surface water. Applying the social-ecological system framework (SESF) devised by E. Ostrom and her colleagues and Social Network Analysis (SNA), the current book combines qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the question of why actors cooperate in the management process of an environmental problem like water pollution.
This book investigates how actors organize in order to solve a water quality problem. Research on the use of environmental resources has mainly focused on the circumstances needed for users to self-organize or to maintain an already sustainable way of resource use. Few studies have investigated the reasons why actors start to cooperate when they are faced with an environmental problem. Actor networks in three regions of the Rhine catchment area are scrutinized; a) actors cooperation pattern when managing an environmental problem; and b) the factors that trigger actors in a common-pool resource situation to initiate cooperation. Water quality policy is analysed in two European countries - Germany and Luxembourg, and one non-European country - Switzerland, providing an overview of the distinctive measure applied in these regions with the aim of tackling the water quality problem of micro-pollutants in river surface water. Applying the social-ecological system framework (SESF) devised by E. Ostrom and her colleagues and Social Network Analysis (SNA), the current book combines qualitative and quantitative methods to answer the question of why actors cooperate in the management process of an environmental problem like water pollution.
This open access book reviews the water-agro-food and socio-eco-system of the Seine River basin (76,000 km2), and offers a historical perspective on the river’s long-term contamination. The Seine basin is inhabited by circa 17 million people and is impacted by intensive agricultural practices and industrial activities. These pressures have gradually affected its hydrological, chemical and ecological functioning, leading to a maximum chemical degradation between the 1960s and the 1990s. Over the last three decades, while major water-quality improvements have been observed, new issues (e.g. endocrine disruptors, microplastics) have also emerged. The state of the Seine River network, from the headwaters to estuary, is increasingly controlled by the balance between pressures and social responses. This socio-ecosystem provides a unique example of the functioning of a territory under heavy anthropogenic pressure during the Anthropocene era. The achievements made were possible due to the long-term PIREN Seine research program, established in 1989 and today part of the French socio-ecological research network “Zones Ateliers”, itself part of the international Long-term Socio-economic and Ecological Research Network (LTSER). Written by experts in the field, the book provides an introduction to the water budget and the territorial metabolism of the Seine basin, and studies the trajectories and impact of various pollutants in the Seine River. It offers insights into the ecological functioning, the integration of agricultural practices, the analysis of aquatic organic matter, and the evolution of fish assemblages in the Seine basin, and also presents research perspectives and approaches to improve the water quality of the Seine River. Given its scope, it will appeal to environmental managers, scientists and policymakers interested in the long-term contamination of the Seine River.
With the consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss becoming more and more apparent, both the protection of water resources and water-related ecosystems as well as protection from water, that is flood protection policies, have become increasingly important. This book explores the latest applications of network analysis concepts and measures to the study and practice of water governance. Given the holistic complexity of water governance, it covers individual water governance aspects such as flood protection and fisheries, as well as overarching concepts like integrated water management and social-ecological interactions. The book provides an overview of current water governance issues, network analytic concepts as well as implications for practice. The main body of the text is made up of eight case studies by world-leading environmental governance scholars, each of which addresses one water-related challenge by applying a variety of network approaches. The first part of the book highlights network dispersion and fragmentation, the second focuses on how such fragmentation in networks can be overcome and the third deals with specific roles of actors in networks. This collection is a key resource for scholars and practitioners interested in water governance all over the world. It provides readers with an overview of the potential of network analytic concepts for research on complex governance problems.
The book examines a new concern in water quality policy, namely aquatic micropollutants. Micropollutants are chemicals detected in small concentrations in waterbodies today, originating from pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, or detergents, among others. Since the regulation of micropollutants is a fairly new issue, it has been largely neglected in social sciences. However, the search for appropriate solutions is of high political relevance at both the national and international levels, with many open questions arising that concern the most adequate governance structures and steering mechanisms. Solutions suitable for classical, macro-pollutants, such as nutrients, do not necessarily apply to micropollutants because of the diversity of compounds and sources, and for technical, financial, and societal reasons. The book addresses this knowledge gap by investigating the steering mechanisms at hand and their prospect for problem solving. In this regard, the research provides a systematic depiction and comparison of policy designs in place for the reduction of micropollutants in the Rhine basin. Moreover, the study yields insights into the governance structures in place, into actors’ responsibilities and constellations, and policy processes regarding micropollutants. The study is furthermore embedded into broader theoretical questions of policy research. More precisely, this research is a contribution to policy analysis that aims to achieve more optimal policy results by providing for a better understanding of the nature of policy designs and the social mechanisms behind the choice of them. Despite the intrinsic aim of policy analysis at contributing to more optimal policy outcomes, there remains a lack of research regarding analytical tools that enable an ex-ante assessment of policy designs’ problem-solving abilities. To explore such a research path, this book proposes a novel index of policy comprehensiveness for quantifying the prospective performance of policy designs in alleviating an underlying policy issue, e.g. reducing pollutants in waters. Furthermore, the book uncovers the social mechanisms behind policymaking and turns to the question: In which social settings is it possible to achieve a comprehensive policy design? Compared to purely micro-level explanations, the advantage of the network approach is that it goes beyond the mere aggregation of policy actors’ attributes by taking into consideration actors’ interdependencies. In order to take the network approach seriously, the study systematically links the structure of a policy network with comprehensive policy designs. Network concepts, such as coalition structure, interconnectedness, and belief similarity, are employed from policy change research here in order to explore the link between structural network characteristics and comprehensive policy design. By studying how network structures affect policy design, the book critically examines the explanatory value of the network approach.
This volume discusses hazardous environmental micropollutants, their impacts on human health, and possible means to mitigate their associated risks. The book features chapters that cover a variety of topics related to environmental micropollutants, which include dusts, infectious particles, heavy metals, organophosphates, atmospheric toxic organic micropollutants, fungal spores, pollutants from E-waste, antibiotic waste, and more. In addition impacts on human health and the environment, economic issues are addressed, with potential policy solutions offered. This work is timely, as hazardous micropollutants in soil, water and air are becoming more common, and this environmental contamination is leading to increasing instances of suboptimal human health outcomes. The book will be of interest to students and researchers in environmental pollution and remediation technology, microbiologists, and environmental regulators.
Three years after the adoption of the OECD Water Governance Principles, this report takes stock of their use and evolving practices, and provides an indicator framework building on lessons learned from their implementation in different countries and contexts.
Water Security: Big Data-Driven Risk Identification, Assessment and Control of Emerging Contaminants contains the latest information on big data-driven risk detection and analysis, risk assessment and environmental health effect, intelligent risk control technologies, and global control strategy of emerging contaminants. First, this book highlights advances and challenges throughout the detection of emerging chemical contaminants (e.g., antimicrobials, microplastics) by sensors or mass spectrometry, as well as emerging biological contaminant (e.g., ARGs, pathogens) by a combination of next- and third-generation sequencing technologies in aquatic environment. Second, it discusses in depth the ecological risk assessment and environmental health effects of emerging contaminants. Lastly, it presents the most up-to-date intelligent risk management technologies. This book shares instrumental global strategy and policy analysis on how to control emerging contaminants. Offering interdisciplinary and global perspectives from experts in environmental sciences and engineering, environmental microbiology and microbiome, environmental informatics and bioinformatics, intelligent systems, and knowledge engineering, this book provides an accessible and flexible resource for researchers and upper level students working in these fields. - Covers the detection, high-throughput analyses, and environmental behavior of the typical emerging chemical and biological contaminants - Focuses on chemical and biological big data driven aquatic ecological risk assessment models and techniques - Highlights the intelligent management and control technologies and policies for emerging contaminants in water environments
The UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes provides invaluable insights into the contribution of this international agreement towards transboundary water cooperation via its legal provisions, accompanying institutional arrangements and subsidiary policy mechanisms. Contributing authors - experts on key aspects of the Convention - address a broad range of issues, primarily concerning its: development and evolution; relationship with other multi-lateral agreements; regulatory framework and general principles; tools for arresting transboundary pollution; procedural rules; compliance and liability provisions; and select issues including its Protocol on Water and Health.
This book reviews water treatment technologies for the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs). It provides the reader with an overview of state-of-the-art techniques and recent efforts to develop more sustainable approaches. After nearly two decades of research into the presence and impact of PhACs in the environment, they remain one of the hottest topics in the fields of environmental chemistry, toxicology and engineering. Accordingly, intensive research efforts are currently being devoted to water treatment technologies that can reduce the presence of these emerging contaminants in water bodies. This book examines various types of contaminated water from industry, hospitals and urban wastewater. It provides the reader with a range of potential solutions for water treatment and reuse, and addresses the advancement of analytical tools for evaluating the performance and efficiency of treatment technologies.
